Generally, IC cards or packs, such as memory cards, are data input devices which are electrically connected to an electronic apparatus or storage device, such as a word processor, personal computer or other electronic apparatus. The data stored in the IC card is transferred to the electronic apparatus. IC cards are portable instruments which are readily inserted and extracted from a connector for removably coupling the IC card to a printed circuit board, for instance.
An IC card may include a frame which usually is generally rectangular and includes an opening in either a top surface or a bottom surface thereof or, in some constructions, in both surfaces. The opening receives a circuit substrate, and a panel or cover closes the opening and encloses the circuit substrate within the frame. In other IC cards, a separate frame is not used, and the circuit substrate simply is sandwiched between a pair of cover panels. This assembly is held together by an adhesive material
The circuit substrate of an IC card conventionally is a generally planar construction around which the pair of cover panels are assembled. In addition to a receptacle connector, electrical components including semi-conductor devices, integrated circuits, batteries or the like are mounted to the circuit substrate and extend a given distance or height off the circuit substrate in one or both directions. Therefore, the circuit substrate is "offset" toward the top or bottom cover to accommodate the maximum height of such electrical components. Depending on the type of components used, different offsets may be required for different applications, and therefore, the circuit substrate is located at varying heights within the card.
The receptacle connector typically includes a housing having receptacle terminals mounted therein. The connector has a mating face for mating to a header connector of an underlying electronic apparatus, and a rear face opposite the mating face, from which extends surface mount tails of the receptacle terminals for engaging corresponding areas on the circuit substrate. Accordingly, the surface mount terminal tails of the receptacle connector must be formed to the surface of the circuit substrate in each application having a different offset inasmuch as the mating face of the receptacle connector is generally of a fixed configuration according to such standards as the Personal Computer Memory Card International Association ("PCMCIA").
Considerations when forming the surface mount terminal tails to the surface of the substrate include whether the surface mount terminal array of the receptacle connector is single row or dual row, whether the corresponding circuit substrate contact area or contact array is single row or dual row, and whether the surface mount terminal tails in each row are offset laterally from one another. In the case of dual row receptacle connectors, where the terminal array of the receptacle connector is "straddle mount", the surface mount terminal tails are not terminated in a common plane, rather, they "straddle" the circuit substrate. Where the surface mount terminal tails make contact with a dual row circuit substrate contact array, the surface mount terminal tails will terminate in a common plane, however, the upper and lower rows of terminals, by necessity, must be formed separately. In the case of a dual row receptacle connector which makes contact with a single row circuit substrate array, the surface mount terminal tails must terminate in-line to a common plane on a surface of the circuit substrate.
The forming of the surface mount terminal tails of a dual row receptacle connector for different offsets in varying applications may occur at any step in the assembly process. Typically, the required offset is determined in advance of the assembly of the receptacle connector, and, as such, the surface mount tails of the terminals may be formed within the terminal die prior to inserting them into the receptacle connector housing. According to the offset required, preformed terminals are then inserted into the two rows of the receptacle connector housing to produce two rows of surface mount tails which all contact the surface of the circuit substrate in a common plane. The upper and lower rows of tails must be formed separately to produce a connector assembly in which the tails lie within a single row of a common plane. Such a method necessarily requires separate forming dies or complicated die forming inserts within a single terminal die which is costly in terms of design, maintenance, and inventory. Furthermore, the different variations of the terminals prior to connector assembly necessitate different inserts or tracks within the assembly machine and/or different carriage and packaging containers to accommodate each version prior to assembly. In view of such requirements, different part numbers and/or inventory must be created to track and store the different terminals, differing assembly machine inserts and/or sequences, and different packaging requirements.
An alternative to forming the terminals to the required offset in the terminal die is to form them in the assembly machine after insertion of the terminals into the housing. Since the two different rows of terminal tails will undergo a distinctly different sequence of forms in order to result in a single row coplanar array, the assembly machine must have a first set of forming stations dedicated to the forming sequence needed for the "lower" row of tails, and a second set of forming stations dedicated to the (different) forming sequence needed for the "upper" row. When another offset is subsequently required, the forming locations and angles for each of the forming stations for each of the two connector terminal rows must be changed. This severely complicates the assembly machine and accordingly adds to the cost, design and maintenance thereof, since a large degree of flexibility of possible operations must be designed and built into the machine initially, notwithstanding the cost of the change tooling required for each additional offset. The shop labor time required to make the actual tool changes themselves during production represents still another cost.
Both methods of producing connector assemblies having differing offsets thus requires complicated inventory and changes in machinery. Such requirements of inventory and changes in machinery become very costly and time consuming. Therefore, each deviation from a given offset requires extensive and expensive changes in the assembly machines, terminal dies, and other associated tools, and processes.